Dear Colleagues,

Modern agricultural production has two main tasks that now must coexist. The first is yield maximization in order to satisfy market needs, and the second is minimization of the interference with the soil environment. One of the basic criteria of a balance between these tasks is the degree of soil biological improvement, the parameterization of which is an important issue in modern production systems. Among the innovative technologies that have been developed in the last few decades, precision agriculture can be considered the most important; it is considered to be an excellent tool for the development of sustainable agriculture and allows us to optimize production for present and future generations while taking into account economic, ecological, and social aspects. This concept was born from the conviction that the variability in plant growth conditions is the factor that contributes most to the variability in yields at the field scale and, therefore, it would be advantageous to adapt the amount of input to the local soil conditions and to perform the right treatment in the right place at the right time. A very important issue is the search for the most effective methods that will allow us to delineate in the field areas differing in production conditions, among which soil properties are the most important. A number of technologically advanced devices have been developed, thanks to which large amounts of data can be acquired in real time under field conditions in a continuous measurement mode using proximity detection. Modern technical solutions allow for the integration of satellite-based surface condition identification systems with ground-based systems and aircraft. Integrating various measurements into a single system for mapping soil properties is a current research problem. It is predicted that geophysical surveys with the simultaneous use of more sensors will become the standard because of the broad range of field information necessary for proper management. Modern farm and production technologies are monitored through the use of telematic systems and software that allow for real-time analysis and then simulation of the economic outcome of a given activity or process, which consequently leads to its optimization. In addition, networking of the entire machine park enables us to automatically plan maintenance services.

Dr. Paweł Kiełbasa
Dr. Anna Miernik
Dr. Akinniyi Akinsunmade
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• precision agriculture
• telematics
• geoinformatics
• agricultural production technology
• measurement systems
• agricultural engineering
• mechanical engineering
• geophysics
• soil
• plant